So the Knicks, who were prepared to offer Robinson a one-year, $1.3 million deal, passed. Instead, they will probably fill their open roster spot -- created when they waived Shandon Anderson on Wednesday -- by activating center Bruno Sundov, who will be eligible to come off the injured list after tonight's game at Indiana.

Although rumors of a Curry trade swirled through Chicago yesterday, a person close to the situation called a deal with the Knicks highly unlikely. The reported offer of Nazr Mohammed for Curry actually took place over the summer, when the Knicks' president, Isiah Thomas, was pursuing a number of trades with the Bulls. That has not been revisited since then, the person said.

Rather, the Bulls this week approached the Knicks, offering Curry in exchange for Mike Sweetney, the promising young power forward. The Knicks declined that offer, and it is appearing less likely that the Bulls will trade Curry at all.

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Although Curry's agents publicly demanded a trade this week, Curry said they did so without his knowledge. "I'm not trying to go nowhere," Curry told Chicago reporters yesterday. "There's no way I want to leave Chicago, under no circumstances."

The Chicago Tribune reported this week that the Bulls' owner, Jerry Reinsdorf, once reluctant to trade Curry, has given his full consent to the prospect of moving him. The Tribune reported that Denver, Phoenix, Minnesota, Memphis and the Los Angeles Lakers had also asked about Curry.

The belief in Chicago is that the Bulls will not insist on receiving a star player or great prospect in return. They may be willing to settle for players who are merely productive and coachable, and Knicks forward Kurt Thomas could fit the bill.

Curry, who is listed at 6 feet 11 inches and 285 pounds, has frustrated Bulls management since he was selected out of high school as the fourth overall pick in the 2001 draft. Curry has shown flashes of greatness -- he once scored 20 points against Shaquille O'Neal while holding him to 13 points -- but he has more often disappointed.

The Bulls, directed by General Manager John Paxson and Coach Scott Skiles, a no-nonsense disciplinarian, are weeding out players perceived as lazy or inflexible.

Curry is making $3.8 million in the fourth and final year of his contract. He will be a restricted free agent next summer, and the Knicks could make a run at him then. If Curry underperforms again this season, the thinking goes, his market value might decline to the point where the Knicks could sign him for the midlevel exception, about $5 million. But there are also concerns among Knicks officials that Curry could not handle playing in New York.

Cherry-picking from the Bulls locker room has become a curious pastime of Isiah Thomas, a Chicago native. He doggedly pursued Crawford this summer and eventually acquired him, along with forward Jerome Williams, in a multiplayer trade. Thomas then spent several days this week investigating the pros and cons of signing Robinson. Over the last three seasons, the Bulls of Curry, Crawford, Williams and Robinson have won, on average, 25 games.